Stuffaholic or MINIMAL MANIAC?

Why does it seem like we are the culture that can't let go? Are you a 'keeper' and proud of it?

January 16, 2005|By Story by Pamela Sherrod, Tribune Staff reporter

Speaking of stuff: It's true confession time.

We know things have been frantically shoved into the closet as you sprinted through the house to get it company-ready last weekend. And they had to be squeezed in because the closet was already crammed with scavenged finds from previous weekend cleaning blitzes. What to do the next time you need to make the piles around the house vanish? You'll have to choose between investing in body armor and headgear to open that closet door and a Paul Bunyanesque spatula to shovel the stuff in or get serious about dealing with your sticky Stuff Situation.

In the last 10 years, new stores have come on the scene to help us manage our addiction to stuff -- things to keep things in, to display things on, to stash things away in secret.

The presence of companies such as The Container Store and Hold Everything help us feel better about our stuff because they provide us with stylish things in which to put it.

Strangely, though, the boxes often become a new thing to collect.

That is, if you are one of those who can only say "bring it on," adding to what you already have. There are also those who live by the mantra: "let it go." We want to know which tribe you belong to. So take a few moments, clear a pile and circle the answers that best describe the "stuff" in your home.

We promise not to judge and we'll be back with "All Stuffed Up," an occasional series that will: tell how many of our readers are packing and how many tossing; explore the psychology of stuff; help you get organized and dig your way out of overstuffed closets and drawers; and, in the end, just might help you find that sense of tranquility that got lost in all that clutter.

In the world of Stuff Management, do you consider yourself:

a) lean and mean about it

b) just right in the stuff department

c) sentimental to an over-stacked fault

d) packing everything and anything, including the rat

Do you wish you could:

a) get free of the "stuff"

b) add more things to your home

c) better manage the inflow of stuff

In 2004, how many plastic storage boxes did you buy:

a) 0

b) 1-5

c) 6-10

d) More than 10

When you inherited belongings from your parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, you:

a) brought them home and put them in the basement (or attic or crawlspace or closet)

b) brought them home, lovingly restored them (if needed) and proudly displayed them

c) sold them on eBay

d) gave them to someone who could use them

If there is anything in your home from your `Wonder Years' (high school or college -- and, by the way, let us know when you graduated from one or the other), we would find it:

a) tucked in boxes (in the basement or crawlspace or attic) that haven't been opened in decades

b) showcased on walls or bookshelves (and let us know what it is)

Greeting cards or postcards:

a) I save them -- all of them (and where do you keep them?)

b) I save my favorites (what makes a greeting card a fave) -- and where do you keep them?

c) I keep them for a while (for how long?) and then let them go.

d) I toss, toss, toss -- immediately.

If you receive a gift that you don't care for, you:

a) keep it in its gift box and build a tower of boxes

b) return it to the store

c) give it to a charitable organization or a friend.

d) use it.

e) put it in a box for the next garage/yard sale.

How many pieces of clothing can you find in your closet that haven't been worn in more than a year (and tell us why you haven't parted with them):

a) 0

b) 1 to 5

c) 6 to 10

d) More than 10

Do you think your stuffaholism is:

a) inherited

b) an act of rebellion against your keep-absolutely-nothing parents.

c) a show of creative chaos.

d) other:

Truth or dare: I want to:

a) declutter

b) rearrange my clutter.

c) lose my minimalist ways.

d) be a collector who can see the collections.

If you have books on your shelves that you never read but intend to someday, would you say there are:

a) 1 to 5.

b) 6 to 10.

c) more than 10.

d) I don't have any books on my shelves that I haven't read.

Do you have books on your shelves that you have read but probably will never pick up again?

a) Yes, 1 to 5.

b) Yes, 6 to 10.

c) Yes, more than 10 (about how many?)

d) No (where do they go?)

Do you have CDs or VHS tapes on your shelves that you never listen to or watch?